Iñigo Calderón was disappointed after Bristol Rovers fell to a 2-1 defeat away to Northampton Town in Sky Bet League One.
The Gas were looking to return to winning ways against the Cobblers after losing 2-0 to Wycombe Wanderers in the week and took the lead moments into the second half through Scott Sinclair.
It looked like Rovers were on their way to their first triumph on the road since beating Cambridge United at the start of January. However, Dara Costelloe and Nesta Guinness-Walker scored to help Kevin Nolan’s men to all three points, with Northampton overtaking the Pirates in the table.
Calderón reflected on the away defeat, admitted his team must keep working hard, and thanked the 800 travelling Gasheads for their support.
It hurts a lot...
“It hurts a lot," he said. "Obviously, winning away, 1-0 up, it’s a difficult one to explain. There was nothing in the game. It was a bit dead. Sometimes, that is risky as well because you can switch off.
“The second we switched off, they cost us too much," said Calderón. "There was a free-kick, and after just a cross. I don’t think we were strong in that time. I think if I don’t remember badly, we had a chance before the free kick, where they scored the first one. I think the second one was coming for us rather than the equaliser for them. It’s a difficult one to explain. It’s a difficult one to take, but listen, we have to take it on the chest, and we have to move forward.”
Scoring after resuming is everything you want...
“I spoke to the boys at half-time, and I think the game was more or less there," he said. "Obviously, nothing spectacular. You cannot expect anything spectacular today coming here, but I think the game was more or less what we wanted.
“Scoring after resuming is everything you want, and after, I think we stopped playing too early, and that gave them the chance to then find a way somehow. But still, I don’t think that was the case. I don’t think we were struggling too much or defending too much.
“It was a dead game. Nothing was happening. I would say it was nearly under control, and all of a sudden, they have a free kick, second phase, we concede, and everything changed a little bit after that.”
I don’t think we have to kill the game so early...
“I don’t think we have to kill the game so early," said the Spaniard. "I’m happy with that in the last ten or fifteen minutes. Let’s try to kill the game and be experienced in that. But maybe it was too early to stop.
“I don’t think we were passive at that time. I don’t think we didn’t want to play at all or we wanted to defend. It was not the case. There was nothing in the game, but the set piece changed everything, I think.”
I said to the boys to try to work harder...
“I said to the boys to try to work harder," he said. "Try to be calm. You cannot lose your head. Obviously, we have to improve because otherwise, every single game at home is going to be a final because we cannot win away. The next game is going to be at home against a difficult opponent, similar to today. Again, we keep improving. We have to work harder every day, and that’s the only way I know.”
We are going to keep trying every single day...
“When we scored the goal in that stand, I prefer that as you gave them [the fans] something finally," he said. "But obviously, we couldn’t close it, so that’s not what you want. Eight hundred coming, Northampton is not that close, so we can just say thank you, and we are going to keep trying every single day.”
